How Jamie Brenner Sits Down & Writes
Jamie Brenner's fourth novel 'Summer Longing' will bring the beach to you.
In Summer Longing, Jamie Brenner brings the magic and beauty of Provincetown, Massachusetts—as well as a side of intrigue—right to you.
Ruth Cooperman is ready for a change. A big one. At 58-years-old, she’s sold her successful beauty business and her home in Philadelphia in the hopes of starting over in Provincetown. Not close with her adult daughter, Olivia, or her ex-husband, Ben, Ruth is prepared for a carefree summer on her own. Once she arrives in her new home, however, she finds fate has other plans for her.
On her first night in Provincetown, Ruth discovers a newborn baby girl on the doorstep of her rental home with no note or information about where she came from. The tight-knit community quickly comes to her aid, accepting both the baby and Ruth as one of their own.
As the summer unfolds, there’s only two questions on everybody’s mind—who left the baby on Ruth’s doorstep and why?
If you’re a fan of Elin Hildebrand or grew up reading Sarah Dessen’s young adult novels then you’ll love Summer Longing.
We got to chat with Jamie Brenner about blending fact and fiction to create a heightened reality in her novels, staying creative in difficult times and the book she’s most looking forward to reading this summer.
Q: Where/When do you like to write the most?
I like to write first thing in the morning, or as close as I can get to that. When things were normal, I had a great communal workspace in Manhattan that kept me energized. Now, like everyone else, I’m working from home. Some days it’s unfortunately easy to convince yourself that the laundry or dishes just can’t wait!
Q: When it comes to drafting, do you prefer writing on a computer or freehand?
If I don’t know where a scene is going to go, I’ll start writing longhand on a legal pad and then, when I have momentum, I’ll move to typing on my laptop—sharpening it up in the process. Sometimes I can just go straight to typing but I always have a legal pad next to me.
Q: Are you more of a plotter or pantser?
I’m an obsessive plotter.
Q: Stephen King has a great line in ‘On Writing’ that says “the scariest moment is always right before you start. After that, things can only get better.” That scary pre-start moment often inspires procrastination in writers. Suddenly, you have to clean your entire house, do the laundry and play Candy Crush for an hour before you can actually start writing. Is there anything you need to do before you can actually sit down and work?
I agree—that first leap into the book is terrifying. I go through a phase where I feel like I have to figure everything out (again, obsessive plotter), and then I have to remind myself that’s impossible. You can’t plan everything ahead of time. At a certain point, you just have to dive in.
Q: Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what music? Is your choice of music inspired by the project you’re working on?
I don’t listen to music when I write—I really need quiet. Music makes my mind wander and when I’m writing I need intense focus. I read somewhere that creative writing isn’t about making something up, it’s about getting the story down. I agree with that.
Q: Do you need any particular drinks—coffee, tea, etc—or snacks on hand when you’re writing? If so, which ones?
Coffee! Sometimes when I’m trying to be healthy I’ll switch to green tea in the afternoon. But yes, caffeine all the way.
Q: Some writers believe you have to write every single day. Is that true of your process? How often do you write/how long for each session?
Once I start a new book, I write every day. I don’t write for a certain amount of time, I write for a certain number of words. Usually, I aim to write about 2,000 words a day. I don’t always get there but that’s the goal. That could take two hours, that could take six depending on how difficult the section.
Q: Are you a fan of craft books for writing? Is there one you consult often/would recommend to aspiring authors?
One aspect of writing a novel that never gets easier for me is structure. The one book that helps me with this is Save the Cat Writes a Novel. It breaks a novel down into sections and gives great guidance for hitting certain marks that keep a story moving and engaging.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give an aspiring author?
Write the type of books that you read—and read a lot.
Q: Do you prefer the drafting stage or the revision stage?
I like drafting because anything is possible. The revision stage offers no illusions—all of the shortcomings are there and you have to fix them. I’d say drafting is like dating and revising is like decades of marriage.
Q: The setting of Summer Longing—Provincetown, Massachusetts–is as much a character in this novel as Ruth Cooperman and Elise Douglas. You visited Provincetown in your previous novel The Forever Summer, as well. What about this particular place inspired you to visit (and now revisit) it in your writing?
It's the people. While Provincetown is full of natural beauty and cute shops and great restaurants, the magic of the town comes from the people. There is a creative energy, a generosity of spirit, and a sense of community, that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. It’s truly special, and it inspired me to try to create stories to showcase it.
Q: When you use real-world locations for settings in a fictional story, how do you manage to balance those real-world touches with the delightful details, characters, and businesses (like Tea on the Sea and The Beach Rose Inn) that make up a Jamie Brenner novel?
The main characters in my novels are all just creations – they aren’t based on real people. But the colorful people they meet along the way in the story are often based on people I’ve met while researching or spending time in a particular town. For example, the book store owner in my novel Drawing Home is loosely based on Taylor Berry, who owns Berry & Co in Sag Harbor. (Taylor told me that when Drawing Home published, people in town were reading to try to figure out who each character was based on!) In Summer Longing, the tea shop is based on the real-life shop The Captain’s Daughters, and The Beach Rose Inn is based on The Anchor Inn—among many other real-life inspirations. I find that blending fact and fiction gives you a sort of heightened reality that makes for a great story.
Q: You've shared photos with your readers of real-life locations that have inspired your work in some way on social media (like this one)—does having a visual aid help your world building?
Absolutely! One of the first steps for me in crafting a new novel is getting a visual board set up. I photograph a town and post the images above my desk and they stay there the entire time I’m writing. The added bonus of this is that since I’m writing all through the winter, I spend every day with photos of beach towns in front of me.
Q: Summer Longing explores all kinds of mother/daughter relationships. From the baby left on Ruth's doorstep to her fractured relationship with her own adult daughter, Summer Longing shows there's no right way to come to motherhood/be a mom. What drew you to explore this relationship dynamic?
I could write a novel-length response to this question! I’ve had this story in mind for almost twenty years—since I became a mother myself. I have a difficult relationship with my own mother. When my first daughter was born, it allowed me to see motherhood from the opposite side of the fence. As life goes on, motherhood becomes more multi-dimensional. It’s complicated, it’s beautiful, it’s challenging, and sometimes it’s heartbreaking. I wanted to explore motherhood from different vantage points in one story, and this is that story.
Q: A few characters from The Forever Summer pop up in Summer Longing—was it fun for you to write them again? Do you keep tabs on all your characters after you finish your novels?
I usually don’t! When I finish a novel I sort of say goodbye to the characters. But there was no way I could write another Provincetown novel without including characters from The Forever Summer because the town is so interconnected. Spend any amount of time there and I guarantee you will leave with a new friend. That’s the joy of Provincetown.
Q: Besides revisiting characters from previous novels, do you ever drop any fun Easter Eggs in your new novels from previous ones?
I haven’t done that yet but I love when authors do!
Q: These are obviously strange times we're living in right now. Do you have any tips on staying creative when our every day touchstones for normalcy are out of reach?
It’s challenging. Very challenging. I’m finding that the best way to stay creative is re-reading books I love and re-watching movies that inspire me. I just re-read Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead. I watched Something’s Gotta Give starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson for the hundredth time – one of my all-time favorite movies. Oh, one new show that I’m really enjoying and leaves me a bit re-charged is Belgravia. It’s by Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey. It’s a juicy, scandalous family drama. Perfect escapism for this time.
Q: Are there any books you're really looking forward to reading this year?
Luckily for all of us, there are so many good books coming out this summer. Top of my list to read is Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. Her novel American Wife is one of my favorites. I’m thankful to all the writers who are giving me plenty to look forward to, and I’m thankful to all the readers out there giving me a place to tell my own stories. Books will get us through, everyone!
Grab your copy of Summer Longing at Bookshop.org, IndieBound, or Barnes & Noble. Happy reading!
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Summer Longing and The Forever Summer are set in Provincetown with some of the same characters. Will there be a 3rd book continuing the story and characters
from Provincetown.